A New Age Comes: Frightening Beginnings
by BreadQueen42
Summary: Something odd occurs between Hermione Granger and Lucius Malfoy and neither of them understand. This is the tale of their first interactions and the start to uncovering something ancient and much much bigger than either of them could have imagined.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Only the plot and the way in which characters are manipulated are mine. Everything else belongs to other people in other places with different ideas. We all know who they are._

A New Age Comes: Frightening Beginnings

Chapter One

I can remember it well; that first time I saw him, the first time our eyes met. It was an experience unlike any other. Yes, truly an experience.

To all the others, only words were exchanged, and rather less than polite ones at that. But to me - and, I'm not certain, to him as well - it was so much more than that.

Before our eyes met, I remember being curious. I found it intriguing that I was now in the presence of the man who fathered one of the most annoying people I had ever met. Various thoughts passed through my mind upon seeing him. Chief among them were that Draco must have inherited his sneer and supercilious manner form his father. And then there was the rather darker curiosity. I had read once that he had been a Death Eater.

That was the last thought I registered before I heard him mention Voldemort. The timing was uncanny. Naturally, I had to say something. He turned toward me then with a look of pure disdain. It was when his look met my defiant expression that it happened.

Our eyes met, and I was suddenly stricken with the most bizarre and powerful feeling. I'm still not certain that calling it a feeling can adequately describe it. I was consumed. My vision tunneled. All I could see were his eyes. It was not pulled into them. Oh no, it was nothing as simple as that.

I was on fire, but it was not painful. The flame seemed to ebb and flow through me, as though it were an ocean. Electricity also coursed through me, energizing me and rejuvenating me, releasing me and binding me, creating me and destroying me. And I was spinning, but also stationary. All I could see were his eyes even as I felt a nearly magnetic pull toward him. Not toward his eyes, but to _him._

It was all of him, the good and the bad, the strength and the weakness. In that moment, I knew every bit of him, knew him better than all others, knew him better even than he knew himself. Thoughts, feelings, memories, decisions, motivations; all of it passed through me. And yet, it was so fleeting that none of it stayed within my memory. I was left only with the knowledge that it had occurred and that this man was indescribably important. How or why this was so, I hadn't the faintest idea. It just was.

Then, just as suddenly as it had happened, everything was back to normal again; at least, to all outward appearances. I, however, stood there, in the middle of Flourish and Blott's, in a state of shock. Nothing that had just occurred made any sense to me. I couldn't believe what I'd just felt. It was so very intense and confusing, and my twelve yard old self had no idea how to handle such a disturbing occurrence.

Luckily, I did not have much more time to contemplate it. The fight between Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy provided a most welcome, albeit mortifying, distraction. And, once the distraction occurred, I grasped hold of it. I told myself that I would only let go of it once I was calm and alone, and therefore, better able to think about it as clearly as possible. It was a new puzzle that needed solving, but at that moment it was a terrifying puzzle.

Not long after that, I parted ways with Harry and the Weasleys and returned home with my parents. It wasn't until that night, when I was supposed to be sleeping, that I finally allowed myself to begin analyzing the day's events. Needless to say, I didn't get very far. While I was quite intelligent and logical at the time, I was still too young to be able to comprehend even a small part of what had occurred.

So, I read and re-read every single magical book I owned, searching for any one hint or vague description of what I experienced. It wasn't until a few days before term was to begin that I finally abandoned the desperate, fruitless search through my beloved books. I then determined that I must wait to utilize the Hogwarts Library. I'll admit that I was quite impatient for term to begin so that I could renew my attempts at solving this puzzle.

That, however, was not to be. The boys, the Chamber of Secrets, and a petrifaction had seen to that. By the time it was all over, I had researched very little in regard to my puzzle. And for a few of the years that followed, I thought of it less and less. I never truly forgot about it, but, after a time, the memory of it had taken on a dreamlike quality. That is, until our eyes met again.

_A/N: Hello readers! I hope you have enjoyed this new story of mine so far. It was one of those that snuck up on me and decided that I wouldn't work on any of my other stories until it was written. Anyway, I hope that you will all enjoy it and please excuse the fact that I borrowed a little bit from the movie. Now, this story will only be a few chapters long. It's more of a prequel to a much longer story that is still in the works. Nevertheless, please let me know what you think. Though, do have some class about it and don't flame. Flaming and constructive criticism are not the same thing. Constructive criticism is welcome of course. Until next time._


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: Only the plot and the way in which the characters are manipulated are mine. Everything else belongs to other people in other places with different ideas. We all know who they are._

A New Age Comes: Frightening Beginnings

Chapter Two

By the time the summer between my second and third years arrived, I had done my best to forget what had happened the year before in Diagon Alley. Of course, that didn't work, and I knew that it wouldn't; to think otherwise would have been completely illogical. However, I thought of it as little as possible and I tried to convince myself that it was a dream. My twelve year old self still couldn't begin to comprehend what had happened. It became less like a puzzle when I thought of it, and that was the terrifying part. It was more intriguing in a way that I couldn't understand.

My attempts at ignoring the situation were brought to an abrupt halt during my third year. Draco Malfoy had been attacked by Buckbeak the Hippogriff and the blasted man was once again a prominent figure in my thoughts. The memory of whatever it was that occurred, and its accompanying feelings, came flooding back when I learned that Lucius Malfoy was pushing for Buckbeak's death. It vexed me to no end.

I remember being so upset that I was reminded once again of what happened. My then current isolation from Harry and Ron in combination with the Lucius Malfoy dilemma only served to escalate my frustration. I decided to help Hagrid build a defense for Buckbeak and threw myself into it. It helped me to forget just a bit.

I poured over law books for hours upon hours, at times I even made use of my Time Turner to do more research. I was determined to not let him win. In retrospect, it was the closest I ever came to engaging in a childish flirtation - childish flirtation being where a young boy pulls some unsuspecting girl's hair because he "likes" her or something to that effect. To this day, I am embarrassed to think on it. My only consolation is that he has never learned of my involvement in Buckbeak's case.

I was heartbroken when I learned that all my efforts went for naught. I cried for hours that night. It felt like he had won. Of course, I had no idea what he had won or why he had won anything at all.

However, this feeling only lasted until Buckbeak flew away from Hogwarts with Sirius Black upon his back. I was triumphantly, and quietly, smug after that. My feeling of having won allowed me to go back to my delusion for a time.

Unfortunately for me, my delusion only lasted until the Quidditch World Cup the summer between my third and fourth years at Hogwarts. It was there that I was most horribly reminded of him again. It was also there that I first saw his wife. It was such an odd thing.

For some reason, it hadn't occurred to me that he had a wife, though of course I knew that his son had a mother. I felt both idiotic and jealous. I tried so hard not to feel jealous, and, at the same time, I tried to understand why I felt that way. It was one of the most uncomfortable feelings I'd ever experienced. As a matter of fact, it still is.

The occurrences after the Cup match ended managed to distract me from this new twist. My desperation to maintain my delusion allowed me to grasp onto it. There were several months that followed where I was able to maintain it, and it was a most welcome reprieve. In fact, my fourth year passed with nearly no thought of the man. No, indeed, it wasn't until my fifth year that my delusion once again came to a screeching, ear piercing halt.

_A/N: Hello again readers. I'm terribly sorry that I haven't been able to write before this. I apologize mostly to those whom I've told that I would most likely post this chapter in September. Real life has gotten in the way. I've been really busy. This is partly due to the fact that, at the end of August, I moved to the opposite side of the country. Very stressful event moving. Anyway, I'm afraid that I don't know when I'll next be updating, but I hope that it will be soon. As always, thank you to all those who have read, reviewed, subscribed, etc. It's welcome and appreciated. Until next time then._


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: Only the plot and the way in which the characters are manipulated are mine. Everything else belongs to other people in other places with different ideas. We all know who they are._

A New Age Comes: Frightening Beginnings

Chapter Three

I knew it would happen eventually, but I had hoped that it wouldn't occur for a long while yet. And when it did, it was at one of the worst possible times. I wouldn't have minded quite as much if it had been another brief run-in at Diagon Alley again; that wouldn't have been nearly as bad as when it did.

It was nearing the end of my fifth year, while we were at the Ministry of Magic within the Department of Mysteries. We had left the relative safety of the castle in favor of flying to London on creatures invisible to at least half our group, including myself. We were on a rescue mission - a very poorly planned and not at all thought out rescue mission.

As we were drawing closer and closer to our target, all I could think was that our mission seemed a lot more like suicide than rescue. My dread continued to grow, but I had to ignore it. I it was a trap, as I feared, I would do my damnedest to protect my friends. I could only hope that it would be enough or, more importantly, that I was wrong.

It didn't take much longer to prove my fears correct. The situation was bad enough, but upon realizing that _he_ was there, standing right in front of me, I felt that it had become much worse. I knew that he was a Death Eater, so it shouldn't have appalled me as much as it did. I suppose that there had been a small, unknown part of me that hadn't wanted to believe it. That really irritated me, but I couldn't then afford to think on the matter for more than a second. I may have only been sixteen, but I knew that I needed to remain as alert as possible in order to have even the slightest chance at making it out of this situation alive, much less unscathed.

I tried to assess the situation as much as possible without the Death Eaters noticing, but that greatly limited my assessment. At one point, I made a bit too much movement. Upon realizing what I'd done, I turned back as subtly as I could; however, it was already too late. He had noticed my movement and had his eyes turned toward me. Once again, my eyes met his. As soon as they did, that same feeling, that same occurrence, from years ago was back.

I wish that I could say that it surprised me, yet it didn't. Instead, I was frightened. This time, I was better able to recognize certain feelings that this occurrence gave me. Now that I was a little older, I could identify certain feelings and emotions that my younger self had yet to comprehend. There was attraction and arousal, as well as many others. In fact, there was every other emotion I knew about, except one. I did not, could not seem to hate him. I should have hated him. I wanted desperately to hate him, just as I knew that he should hate me and didn't. It was a mind-boggling and disorienting realization.

As soon as the moment came, it ended, and even though I didn't lose any time as a result of the occurrence, I was still extremely annoyed. It was distracting me from the rather alarming situation my friends and I were in. Even allowing myself to think on the occurrence right then was dangerous. Eventually, talk was over, and that's when the battle for our lives began.

It was definitely one of the most terrify and confusing times in my life. I had to focus on survival, and, when I could afford to, help to defend my friends. From the time the fighting began, I was relying mostly on instinct and my ever expanding repertoire of spells. To this day, I can't remember exactly who I fought or all the spells I used. I remember the odors and the adrenaline rush coursing through my body, the pure horror I felt. At least, I couldn't remember any details until I was injured by the curse sent at me by Antonin Dolohov.

One of my friends stopped to try and heal me, but I waved him on. I was sure I was dying, however, I was not about to let him get killed while trying to save me. Away from me, he at least had a chance at survival, albeit slim. As my vision began to fade in and out, I realized that what were probably my last words on this earth were a lie. I couldn't bring myself to care. A moment later I knew only darkness.

_A/N: Well, I finally got out another chapter. I've been insanely busy, so it's taken awhile. It's a little short I know, but its current ending worked better than my original idea. Anyway, I'll see what I can do about getting the next chapter it. That of course, depends on how much time I have and how inspired I feel. Thank you to all who have read, reviewed, subscribed, etc. It is all quite appreciated. Please feel free to leave me questions or comments or also constructive criticism. Until next time._


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: Only the plot and the way in which the characters are manipulated are mine. Everything else belongs to other people in other places with different ideas. We all know who they are._

A New Age Comes: Frightening Beginnings

Chapter Four

Time passed and the darkness receded in some areas. There were moments of light and muffled sound. Nothing I could identify. Nothing that ever made me believe that I was anything other than dead. I hadn't registered any feeling in my body. I was amazingly accepting of my death. I had always thought that I would be upset about or fight my death as much as possible until I was of an age to die peacefully and in my sleep.

As I think on it now, I'm fairly certain that the curse had temporarily addled my brain. I cannot imagine any other reason for doing something so clichéd as to accept and welcome death when I was not, in fact, dead. I suppose I may have deluded myself into thinking that I was dead. At that point, I'd managed to turn self-delusion into a part of my daily life, almost as natural to me as breathing.

Needless to say, I was more than a tad shocked to finally figure out that I was alive. I was even more surprised to realize that I was just the slightest bit disappointed. I still haven't figured out why that was exactly. The especially shocking part of my great realization was how I came to it. Luckily, it wasn't as cliché as it could have been. I did not figure out that I was alive by suddenly becoming aware of my bodily aches and pains because that didn't happen for some time. That would have been a bit too much to bear. Instead, it was a voice.

I had no idea who was speaking or what he or she was saying. For once, I wasn't particularly curious about what was going on. I was still too busy wondering why I was disappointed about not being dead; more proof that something was addling my brain. While a part of my mind was off in the land of idiocy, I'd begun to register some of the words and the periods of darkness became fewer and further between.

Eventually, that lacking part of my brain caught up with the rest of itself, so I concentrated on the words that I could make out. Whatever was being said didn't really make sense to me. That's to be expected, though, when I'm sure I could only comprehend about every third or fourth word spoken. It was most likely a few minutes later that I realized that the voice was male. At first, I thought Neville had decided not to listen to me and had stayed behind to help me. I'll admit that I was a little miffed with him for staying when he should have been trying to save himself.

Sometime later, it occurred to me that it was not Neville speaking. It was odd, but that didn't change the fact that I felt no alarm upon discovering who it actually was. By now, it should be rather obvious as to whom, exactly, the voice belonged. The irony of the situation did not occur to me then. I was a little too preoccupied with trying to open my eyes to verify if it, in fact, was the man I'd tried so desperately to pretend didn't exist.

It was amazing that it took so much time and energy just to attempt opening my eyes. It finally reached a point where I determined that it was necessary for me to take a break from doing so.

Instead, I turned my attention fully to the words being spoken while simultaneously conserving more energy for a later attempt at opening my eyes. I'm not sure how much time had passed before I was able to decipher all that he was saying. It could have been mere seconds, but I was in no fit state to adequately judge the elapse of time. I was aware of that much at the time, so I waited and listened or awhile before I allowed myself to believe I was finally catching every word he was saying.

"…don't know why…"

I can't say that I was surprised by what he was saying.

"Weakness!"

But I certainly wasn't expecting what he did say either.

"…must have lost my mind."

This was most likely due to the fact that I never really expected him to be so close to me let alone speaking aloud to himself.

"Weak, so weak."

I couldn't be sure if he was calling me weak, or if he was referring to himself. Either way, it angered me. I used that anger to further fuel my next attempt at opening my eyes. This time, I was successful.

He didn't notice that my eyes were open at first, still too busy muttering to himself while glancing around and at my injury. At least, I was fairly certain that he was staring at my injury, though I couldn't understand why.

All I knew was that he wasn't going to harm me. It was that strange, inexplicable connection at work again. But he didn't have to hurt me. I should already be dying from Dolohov's curse. If that wasn't fast enough, one of his fellow Death Eaters could finish me off; curiously, neither seemed to be happening.

When my brain finally latched onto that piece of information, I decided that it would be prudent to make myself more aware of my surroundings. I soon discovered that doing so was easier thought than done for two reasons. The first issue was that he and I seemed to be behind some overturned tables and cabinets near a wall. The second was that I could move only my eyes and nothing else, however, that last bit stood to reason. I found it exhausting even trying to move them. I could scarcely imagine at that moment how much energy it would take to twitch my hand.

Eventually, he did take notice of my return to consciousness. His face was expressionless though his eyes held just a hint of confusion and disbelief. Again, that was understandable. As far as I could tell, he was healing me - all the while wondering why he was doing so. I really couldn't blame him for being confused. I was certainly confused, not that I was able to spare much thought on that particular issue at that moment.

Here was a man that should, by all rights, rejoice at the prospect of my death and he was saving me from it. It would have been beyond mindboggling were it not for our bewildering connection. At this point, I knew that he felt it too. It was there in his eyes; those eyes that should have looked at me with loathing; those eyes that I should not have been able to look into and instantly know his every emotion. For the first time in my life, I felt damned.

I was irrevocably and permanently connected to this man, this Death Eater, and I had no idea why. There was no explanation for it, at least not that I had yet found; and it came at a horrible time. War was impending, and we were on opposing sides. Either one of us could be killed and shouldn't care about the other's death, even though we both know that we would. And to make the entire situation more damning and ridiculous, he was married and I was barely older than his son.

It would be far more appropriate if he had a connection of this sort with his wife, however, I knew that he did not. How I knew that to be so? Again, it was because of our blasted connection. It was infuriating, but I couldn't bring myself to feel anything more than curiosity about it at that moment. As I said, my mind must have been addled by the curse.

While these thoughts flew through my mind, he continued to stare at me. It took me a moment to notice. When I did, his eyes held a mild apology within them. He raised his wand and I was consumed by the darkness again.

I knew no more until I woke within the confines of Hogwarts Hospital Wing. This time I was angry. I was upset that he would do that to me, particularly since he never told me that it was his intent to do so or even attempt to get my permission. That fact combined with my waking at the Ministry to him possibly calling me weak, gave me a new sort of determination.

I would never be weak. I would never be called weak again. I would prove him wrong. And, in doing so, I would prepare myself better for the inevitable war.

_A/N: Hello all! I'm pleased to have updated so soon after my last. I was hoping to have this up sooner, but, of course, real life decided that it wasn't meant to be. I was in a car accident last week. Anyway, thank you to all have read, reviewed, subscribed, etc. It is much appreciated. Of course, reviews for this chapter are most welcome and appreciated. Please let me know if I have any inconsistencies or anything is confusing. Until next time._


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